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Lissa
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I will try to write a longer post here later, but for now I just wanted to mention that I was hunting through my shelves to see if I had a copy of True Devotion to Mary and found instead *two* copies of Preparation for Total Consecration according to St. Louis de Montfort. It has readings from True Devotion, the Imitation of Christ, and others, as well all the prayers.
If anyone would like my extra copy, I would be happy to send it to you!
Meanwhile, I have ordered myself a copy of True Devotion. Thanks, Helen and all.
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Lissa
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alicegunther
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I had a funny little experience here today.
I found my copy of True Devotion in the den without its dust jacket. Now, I had just purchased that copy a little over a year ago to replace one that had gone missing, and I was a bit disturbed to see that one of the kids had misplaced the dust jacket on it. I started asking around to find out which of the children had taken it off, but they all said they hadn't.
Then I sat down at my computer and found the new copy, with its dust jacket, still sitting where I had left it the night before.
So, it seems the old copy decided to resurface--now of all times! I hadn't seen it in a couple of years!
It was so convenient having it, because I was able to read aloud from the introduction today, and Theresa, who enjoys reading along, had her own copy to look at. The girls are extremely excited to be part of this, and I explained to them all about Hidden Treasure. Everyone listened and discussed the introduction, right on down to seven year old Marie. Five year old Patrick half listened, telling me later that he loves the Blessed Mother.  That is more than enough of a lesson for age five!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
     
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Lissa
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Lissa wrote:
I will try to write a longer post here later, but for now I just wanted to mention that I was hunting through my shelves to see if I had a copy of True Devotion to Mary and found instead *two* copies of Preparation for Total Consecration according to St. Louis de Montfort. It has readings from True Devotion, the Imitation of Christ, and others, as well all the prayers.
If anyone would like my extra copy, I would be happy to send it to you! |
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Update: the book has been claimed, hurrah!
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Lissa
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doris
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Hello!
I'm tentatively joining in -- as a convert, Marian devotion doesn't come naturally. But I do feel drawn to this (partly on the advice of dear friends). I've ordered a copy of the book on Amazon (where I found that, providentially, I had credit that I didn't know I had, so I don't need to fret about the expense) and am excited to learn along with everyone.
By the way, as a cute little aside, my 4yo ds recently announced that he wanted to be a nun (I suggested a monk might be more realistic) because, he said, he loves praying. I asked him what his favourite prayer was. Reply: the Hail Mary.
(Today he's back to wanting to be a plumber.)
__________________
Home educating in London, UK with dd (2000) ds (2002), dd (2004), ds (2008) and dd (2011).
Frabjous Days
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Helen
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doris wrote:
Hello!
I'm tentatively joining in -- as a convert, Marian devotion doesn't come naturally. |
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Welcome Elizabeth!
Marian devotion didn't come naturally to me either. I needed to work on it. Hang in there - it is really worth it.
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Margaret
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Hi Helen and all,
I am a convert. In my study of the Church, I was able to embrace everything in my head. My heart was a different matter. While I didn't say no to anything, it was just hard to embrace some things. One was a relationship with Mary.
Then several years ago, I made St. Louis de Montfort's True Devotion Consecration to Mary (is this the same book all of you are talking about using?). I didn't realize it right away, but after a while looking back I had become close to Mary as a result of making this consecration. Before this past Christmas I had been feeling like I needed to renew this consecration. I decided that would be my Advent preparation--not a good idea!! Too much going on. So I decided to do it during Lent. Now Helen and you wonderful ladies have given me the boost I need to remain faithful with this again. I have also asked my 15 year old daughter to join me, thanks to the encouragement of Alice.
I am so thankful to have all of you. You are all such an incredible blessing.
Love,
Margaret
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alicegunther
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Margaret wrote:
I have also asked my 15 year old daughter to join me, thanks to the encouragement of Alice.
I am so thankful to have all of you. You are all such an incredible blessing.
Love,
Margaret |
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Margaret, how wonderful!
My daughters were so in love with this idea, and before bed my nine year old asked for another chapter of True Devotion to Mary! What a blessing!
The interesting thing is that children are so simple and beautiful and receptive--they take to the Truth like ducks to water!
We said our Rosary with special vim tonight--thank you, St. Louis de Montfort!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Helen
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Welcome Margaret!
I'm not sure about your book. Is this only the four week preparation course? or is it also the explanation of devotion to Mary? Does anyone else know?
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Margaret
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Thank you Helen (and Alice!),
My book is the 5 week preparation. Hope this will make it more clear. Did you have a link on these threads as to which book it is? I tried to look for it and could not find it. Sorry  I'm sure I missed it somewhere.
Love,
Margaret
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alicegunther
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Helen wrote:
Welcome Margaret!
I'm not sure about your book. Is this only the four week preparation course? or is it also the explanation of devotion to Mary? Does anyone else know? |
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Just checking the book online, it appears to be the Consecration itself, with a detailed preparation, but without the text of True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. (Margaret, is that right?)
It's fine though, because True Devotion may be read online at EWTN:
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Louis de Montfort
It might be worth printing out chapter by chapter. By the way, perhaps it is worth comparing our books to make sure we are all reading the same thing. This is the one I have: True Devotion. I love it because it has the text of True Devotion, along with the Consecration. Plus, the cover shows a picture of Our Lady of the Island, a Marian Shrine here on Long Island.
__________________
Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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alicegunther
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Margaret, I'm sorry--we were posting at the same time!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Margaret
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Alice,
Yes, thank you. You are right. My book does not have the text of True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. This makes it more clear.
Love,
Margaret
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SuzanneG
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Hello everyone. I won't write my whole long story right now, b/c I need to go to bed  . But, I made my Militia Immaculata Consecration to Our Lady on Dec. 8, 1997, and my life has never been the same. 
Like others, I have wanted to read True Devotion for several years and have tried to do the 33-day preparation, but have never finished 
I'm so grateful for this "Hidden Treasure"!
__________________
Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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marihalojen
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Hello, Ladies!
It is a gorgeous morning under this swaying palm tree, isn't it? The sun feels so good on my shoulders with my toes buried in the cool sand. The pair of parrots that live across the basin just flew over disturbing the red-winged blackbirds which are sounding off now! That sound is Spring to me still.
When I was a child I believe my family made our Consecration to Our Lady, I say believe, because I don't remember the 33-day preps you've spoken of or specific books (except the red leather of Imitation of Christ) and such, but don't let my sieve of a memory stop you from pursuing this with your own children though! Even if I can't recite St. Louis de Montfort for you today, my early training/familial devotions are a great comfort to me and I am sure they will be for your children in the future as well.
I have mentioned elsewhere my family was active at that time in the Blue Army, and looking back some of my fondest memories are connected with that, for instance the gorgeous traveling statue of Our Lady of Fatima that our parish was blessed with for a period of time and sent out into our homes. The week she was in our home was very special. I remember sitting on the floor in front of Her every morning that week and and just gazing at her beauty. Ladies would drop by with gorgeous flower arrangements and my sister and I nearly denuded Mom's garden keeping our vases filled too, I think we were down to dandelions by the end of that week!
To borrow Lissa's brilliant analogy of Tidal Homeschooling, I believe the same can be applied here. At certain times in life, when the neap tides are flowing you may feel stagnant, low and small. However, tides turn and the rush to a spring tide is heady! After such a low point I absolutely felt the need to attend confession, spend an hour with our Lord, pray the rosary, even though mentally I kept trying to talk myself out of it - why not wait a week or so, do it proper and go on First Friday/Saturday, you know they'll have Benediction on Friday, etc - I couldn't even sleep at night! So I gave in. None of it even made sense, the timing (I thought) was all wrong, I couldn't receive Communion that day, why this desperate need? Well, later that week for the first time in years I was unexpectedly able to attend a daily mass too. Would it surprise anyone to hear the dates were Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Immaculate Conception?
She never forgets her children.
__________________
~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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Helen
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I’m so glad you made it here Jennifer. You’re right, there is a lovely breeze blowing in. I’ve just been down to the sweet stream that waters our oasis and now I’ll be able to offer you a drink as I greet you. Lissa, Christine, Margaret, Bridget, Alice, KC, Steph, Suzanne, and Elizabeth I’m happy that you made it.
Aren’t these charming containers? I found some coconut shells at the base of our palm tree. (Is that possible? Maybe I should stop in at the Great Outdoors Forum) I'll have to run to find some more. I want to say hello to Dawn, Rebecca, Cay, Meredith, Anne, Becky, Kelly, Amie, and Kirsten and offer them something fresh and sweet to drink as well.
Now, I hope all of you realize that there is no need to thank me. I’m so happy to have your company along this path. To have friends along with me and friends who want to share Our Lady with me. I really couldn’t ask for more. I need to thank YOU!
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Helen
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(I realized later on that other people have contributed to this forum on other threads - I extend a heartfelt welcome and thanks to you all  .)
__________________
Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Lissa
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Margaret wrote:
Hi Helen and all,
I am a convert. In my study of the Church, I was able to embrace everything in my head. My heart was a different matter. While I didn't say no to anything, it was just hard to embrace some things. One was a relationship with Mary. |
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Margaret, this is exactly, EXACTLY, what I said to Alice on the phone earlier this week. So *exactly* that I got goosebumps reading your post.
I was talking to her about this forum, how I've been reading the posts and feeling kind of wistful over how I understand devotion to the Blessed Mother with my mind, and I trust absolutely that she is involved with our lives, protecting us, loving us; but that I don't *feel* it. And I know that *feelings* aren't always given to us when it comes to spiritual matters; even many of the saints experienced periods of dryness. I have been content, honestly, to love Mary with my mind, if that makes sense; and yet when I hear Alice or Helen or other friends talk with such simplicity and conviction about the Blessed Mother being THEIR mother, I do feel wistful, sort of like a child with her nose pressed to the glass of a candy shop, knowing without doubt that there is an abundance of sweetness inside, but not able to taste it.
I was telling all this to Alice, and she (as always) had such simple and wise counsel. She said first of all that the longing itself is a great grace; and then she said, "When you pray, you should ask the Blessed Mother to SHOW you that she is your mother. She will!"
So I've been praying that all week. What's funny is that instead of something *new* happening, scenes arise in my memory of times when I think I did taste that sweetness, for a moment. Standing in front of a reproduction of Juan Diego's tilma in St. Patrick's Cathedral, while pregnant with Eileen (I think? or was she a baby in a sling?), near the end of Kate's chemo protocol, feeling (oh! FEELING!!) overwhelmed by the Lady's beauty, and begging her protection for "Kate and all my children."--And what does it say that my son, born years later on my husband's birthday, so fragile and in need of great protection, was born on the feast of Juan Diego??
--And Alice, Eileen's godmother, gave her an Our Lady of Guadalupe medal as a baptism gift. When we were moving, I was shocked to find the medal, which had been scrupulously guarded ever since Beanie received it, on the floor beside Eileen's bed. I gasped at the dreadful thought of how easily it might have been lost or left behind, and I pinned it to my own clothing for safekeeping. For the next three weeks, as we traveled from Virginia to California with many stops in between, I transferred that medal from blouse to blouse. Only this week, as I prayed the prayer Alice encouraged me to make, did it occur to me that it wasn't just *me* protecting the medal on our trip--of course Mary must have been protecting us the whole way too. And really, when I think about how easy and safe and fun the whole trip was, a woman alone with five young children for two weeks and three thousand miles!--of COURSE Someone was looking out for us!
--And backing up even further, when we lived in Queens and badly needed to leave our little apartment, and it was October and I was just learning about Fatima and beginning to pray the rosary, we stumbled into a wonderful apartment in a sweet little Long Island neighborhood, a half mile up the road from Our Lady of Fatima parish.
And so all this week I have been praying and laughing over my own cluelessness, and feeling (there, I said it again!) a sort of eager expectation instead of the old wistfulness--because I know Alice is right and one day I WILL be taken by the hand and led into that sweet shop.
It's funny that I'm now sitting here with tears running down my face...(more feeling...)
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Lissa
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Rebecca
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Oh now I am crying too! Lissa, though I have never met you, I love your sweet, childlike soul.
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alicegunther
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Completely beautiful, Lissa--what inspired observations you make!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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aussieannie
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I thought I would come back and share a bit more of myself – Helen talked about what brought each to Our Lady and her consecration, as I mentioned it was my husband before we married but I’d like to expand more on that time period.
When I was sixteen I suffered severe mercury poisoning, I was covered in a substance from head to foot that in the late 80’s still had mercury in it. Within a short period of time my idyllic, happy life turned into a nightmare – for no reason. Firstly my physical health collapsed and I went into chronic fatigue and all sorts of physical health problems arose, then I inexplicitly experienced a series of breakdowns of some sort, involving extreme levels of anxiety, depression and confused, contrary feelings.
I use to describe these experiences as a turning against everything - in my heart and mind, all that I loved dearly – God, Our Lady, my faith, love, etc......if I could describe it in a simplistic way, it was like colored wires in my head that were being cut and re-wired and red would be attached to blue and blue to the red (all my thinking going haywire) and there was this small part of me - still, helpless, small and holding on to all that I had believed in, as if by a thin strand of string, threatening to break at any moment.
I was aghast at such thoughts, it was a frightening war within myself, struggling to rid myself of the thoughts and feelings I abhorred.... Emotional upsets or catching colds & flu’s, being run down, would usually set one of these episodes off. I never took medication, my parents and husband-to-be would pray and talk me through it each time.... lovingly. My mother in particular would pray all night on her knees to Our Lady and I would turn to mum begging her to pray to my Heavenly Mother each time this would happen.
It was only four years ago that comprehensive tests upon embarking on a supervised heavy metal detox, showed that I was indeed mercury toxic (extreme levels) and it had settled heavily in my brain, nervous system and spinal cord (thyroid must of got a bit too – I have a non-functioning thyroid) - when I received these results I went numb in the chair........a surreal feeling....to talk about it now, still makes feel this way....for I had NEVER allowed myself to believe that there was a physical reason for my 5 years of breakdowns. I thought there had to be a hidden spiritual or emotional problem, I must have been a very bad person to feel like this and these sort of thoughts would add to my torment and despair. I also read recently that mercury can effect the emotions creating a feeling of separateness from God.......I really know what they are talking about.
I noticed in time that my mum praying to our mother (Our Lady) would have a way of lifting me out of each episode – in fact, even if I hadn’t asked mum to pray, if I received almost miraculous relief I would ask her the next day, had she been praying for me? She would sheepishly say that she had been on her knees all night to Our Lady for me. WOW! (These are tears of joy!) In time I would have the strength and courage myself to turn to Our Lady, in a way I had learnt from my mother - with great pleading and determination, in fact in times of my greatest despair, where there seemed to be no hole any deeper to plunge into, if I turned to Mary and pleading with my whole soul, mind and body I experienced a miraculous turn around of my situation, it felt as if I was being lifted above it all and I KNEW that she was carrying me!
Then I married and within 4 months I was expecting our first child – as a teenager at school I had talked about having 12 children – I loved children! But as I suffered a nervous crisis in that pregnancy I felt sure that I was going to suffer the worst post natal depression, (wasn’t I the perfect candidate for that?) I even felt I mightn’t love this child as I ought to – God forbid! For in these breakdowns I felt tempted to reject all that I loved, and I loved children and so I suffered! I remember that once I had finished up work and had 3 months to go, I would pray and cry, cry and pray in front of Our Lady of Perpetual Help every day, what seemed like all day on and off, going back to her image, begging her to remove all this once and for all, that I would fear for my ability to raise my children in this condition – I wanted to be a good mother.
On the day Jack was born, something happened, it all changed, I never had a breakdown again – I truly believed Our Lady healed me that day.....I will never forget that. Not only that, I do not suffer any anxiety or depression - to me it is miraculous!
During these years of suffering I was brought to the True Devotion, I also believed that through that suffering I learnt that I have a perfect mother who loves me – who really loves me - I wonder if my devotion to her would be as deep today if not for that suffering. I say this because I think suffering makes me look beyond myself in a way that might not have if things were fine – I think I must be a weak person, as I know there are women with greater devotion and faith than me and they have come to it without this sort of thing, all I can say is God must have known this would be a drawing of greater good out of evil for me – and it is one reason, I say to those who have known of my past trials, I would not necessarily take it all back now if I could – it brought me to her - our life, our sweetness and our hope!
I feel venerable in a way saying all this, it probably all sounds a bit strange but I share it for a reason ~ I would like to emphasis that Mary is a mother to all, truly, no matter where you are coming from....please, no one out there think they are not *good enough* for it or if they have feelings of a natural strangeness and unsureness towards this sort of devotion, Our Lady can reach past all of that, if we let her.
I just wanted to finish by saying that in 1754, Pope Benedict XIV issued a Bull approving Our Lady of Guadalupe as Patroness of Mexico and in considering the miraculous image imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma, he quoted Psalm 147:
“To no other nation has such a wonder been done.”
- a nation where satanic worship and human sacrifice was formal, public and widespread on a scale unequaled in history and in such a short time Our Lady shows herself to be their true mother in a way never seen before, (that I can think of) reaching down to them in the depth of all of this and lifting them higher, like a chosen race of her special sons and daughters – I mention this story in particular because who brought Christ to that nation? Mary did – only a couple of thousand converted in the decades leading to the apparition and then 6 million converting in 5 years! ~To Jesus through Mary~
Pope John Paul wrote in Ecclesia in America, 1999
“It is to her as Mother and Model that the Church must look in order to understand in its completeness the meaning of her own mission.” (Redemptoris Mater, 1987) Furthermore the Holy Father acknowledges that “we encounter Jesus through Mary” and that “Mary is the sure path to our meeting with Christ. Devotion to the Mother of the Lord, when it is genuine, is always an impetus to a life guided by the spirit and values of the Gospel.”
__________________
Under Her Starry Mantle
Spiritual Motherhood for Priests
Blessed with 3 boys & 3 girls!
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4Real Forums : Hidden Treasure
Topic: Welcome
